“We are thrilled to receive this award. This research has great potential to provide medicines inexpensively to patients in the developed and developing worlds.

“However, it’s seen as ‘blue-sky research’ and falls outside the type of research typically funded by government or industry. So we are particularly grateful to the Ramaciotti Foundations for their support.”

The plant-grown drugs will be based on molecules called cyclic peptides that plants produce naturally.

Professor Craik and Professor Anderson will use the funding to establish the Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Facility for Producing Pharmaceuticals in Plants, which will be based at IMB with a node at La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science.

Perpetual’s National Manager of Philanthropy, Caitriona Fay, said the Ramaciotti Biomedical Research Award and other awards distributed by the Ramaciotti Foundations were very significant.

“The Ramaciotti Foundations are collectively one of the largest private contributors to biomedical research in Australia and have provided essential support to some of our most remarkable scientists since 1970,” she said.

“We are very proud to be the trustee of the Foundations, which showcase the impact philanthropy can have on innovation, which is so important to Australia’s economic future.”